Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 149

149.

Walking back to his hotel room, Ji Dong-hwa replayed the recent events in his mind.

‘Foundation Life.’

Ding-!

[Hard Mode Restriction Activated! I will not respond.]

‘Damn it, you only chime in when you feel like it.’

[This is a matter I cannot intervene in.]

He recalled their conversation after hearing the prophecy and summoning Foundation Life.

‘Strange.’

The madman who casually leaked even the secrets of the heavens couldn’t have suddenly regained his sanity.

[That’s insulting! I am always rational!]

Either there’s a more fundamental restriction on Foundation Life, or…

[Don’t ignore me!]

Foundation Life is simply being capricious.

[I am not that capricious.]

I quickly realized Foundation Life’s intention. He was indirectly telling me that there was something he couldn’t violate.

[I’m sorry. I cannot speak until you fulfill your promise.]

…So human. When it comes to promises, there’s only one. The one where I promised to twist the timeline itself someday so that Foundation Life could directly experience these moments.

[To be swayed by your empty words, I must be an idiot! It’s all because you’re an idiot!]

Quiet. Then, wouldn’t it be okay to find out myself? Curiosity is screaming intensely for answers.

[There are always loopholes in regulations!]

Okay.

Experimentation is the most important thing to understand any unfamiliar phenomenon. Ryu Iden, supporting a tired Lee Hyun-jae, caught my eye. The test subject is secured.

“Iden.”

“Can you support hyung [older brother or male friend] a little, hyung?”

“Hyung.”

“Oh, I guess I spoke too fast. My bad.”

“Let’s bring an umbrella tomorrow.”

“…Eh, you believe what Prophet hyung says?”

Ryu Iden replied with a sulky tone.

“What’s not to believe? There’s nothing to lose. 30% isn’t a low probability either.”

“…That’s true, but. Hmm.”

Lee Hyun-jae, who was walking next to Ryu Iden as he pondered, suddenly interjected.

“Strangely, I don’t like listening to Prophet hyung.”

Okay, other people can recognize that it’s strange, noted.

Focusing slightly, a new bookshelf appears in the library in my head, and several file folders are created. I write ‘Prophecy-Related Experiment Results’ on one file and store a short memo inside.

“Right, it’s a bit… I somehow can’t believe it.”

Ryu Iden said that, contemplating whether to bring an umbrella, and then shuddered. Rejection exists, noted.

* * *

Back at the hotel, when I opened the door, I could see that Chae Ha-min, who had been struggling a bit since the plane ride, had revived. Comparative group experiments are also extremely important.

“Dong-hwa, you’re back? It’s a shame. If my condition were a little better, I would have gone out with you. I wonder if I’ll have time tomorrow. Considering the stage and rehearsals, I won’t have enough time, right?”

Chae Ha-min was lying on the bed, swaying. Looking at me with regretful eyes, he shook his body back and forth. Hmm, a bit distracting.

I took off my snapback and casually tossed out a word.

“It looks like it’s going to rain tomorrow, Ha-min.”

“Ah, really? That’s a problem…. I wanted to play, it’s a shame.”

I frowned at the experimental results. Hypothesis number 1 is presumed to be correct, noted.

“Oh, what’s wrong, Dong-hwa? Are you sick somewhere?”

“No, I was wondering if we could go out for a bit tonight.”

“…Is that okay? Won’t you be tired?”

Even as he says that, his butt is already half-lifted, Ha-min.

“Yeah.”

* * *

On the way out with Chae Ha-min, I briefly stopped by Seok-jun and Lee Hyun-jae’s room. Seok-jun was staring intently at the script without a word, looking more focused than ever.

“Is Hyun-jae asleep?”

“Ye-es, I a-am.”

“Ah, right. Jun.”

I quietly asked Seok-jun in a whisper so that Chae Ha-min wouldn’t hear.

“Prophet hyung said it’s going to rain tomorrow, so bring an umbrella.”

I’m looking forward to the reaction of comparison group number 3.

“…Ah, do-on’t you th-ink it wo-on’t ra-ain?”

“Whatever you want.”

I left Seok-jun, who said he couldn’t go out to read the script, and dragged Chae Ha-min outside.

* * *

Comparison group. While Chae Ha-min went to buy street food for a moment, I left a message for Nesquik.

— A friend called Prophet says it might rain here tomorrow.

The fact that Nesquik has no interest in idols was extremely important. The reply came back immediately.

— WTF lol, the random stuff is still the same! Be careful during the stage

What kind of sloppy system is this? I frowned again.

The conditions for being averse to Prophet’s prophecy that can be confirmed with the information so far are two: first, confronting the Prophet; second, if not confronting the Prophet, being aware of who the Prophet is.

Of course, I haven’t experimented with what happens when the Prophet calls or texts, so the conditions are unclear, but one simple fact is that the problem isn’t ‘information’ but ‘people.’

So, although it’s too early to be sure, if the Prophet really has the ability to see the future, it’s normal to have restrictions on the information itself when worried about leaking the future.

But this sloppy system wasn’t like that. By placing restrictions on people, these problems arise. Isn’t this a good example of how incompetent the place where Foundation Life works is?

[Don’t treat me the same! Among the old fogeys, I am the industrial revolution itself!]

Wow, that sounds like something a capitalist would say. Then, the ‘ding’ sound is heard again. Another message, usually complaining about something,

[Theoretically, that alone is originally sufficient.]

…but it wasn’t, it was a message conveying very important information in a calm tone.

I don’t know why only I don’t blindly oppose the Prophet’s words, or why I can even question them.

[System loopholes are often created in unforeseen situations. Who would predict that a small pebble would collapse a dam?]

I became a small pebble.

[Of course, I do. A distinction from the old fogeys.]

…What is he saying, crazy bastard.

“Dong-hwa!”

I smiled at Foundation Life’s words and greeted Chae Ha-min, who was coming with skewers in both hands. That bright smile suited Chae Ha-min so well.

“There’s so much to eat here. The skewers are really delicious too. Aren’t you hungry?”

Chae Ha-min bought two and handed one to me.

“I ate a lot.”

I accepted one, but still answered that way.

“That’s a shame, really. I should have checked if you ate enough. If only my body were in better condition!”

“…Is there a need to check that?”

“You say you slept enough, so of course.”

“Oh, dear.”

Unfortunately, I really did get enough, but the difference in perspective is so scary.

“Let’s go in, Dong-hwa, since we have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you sad?”

“We already made one memory. It’s enough to remember that I went out with you rather than just staying in the hotel!”

“…Okay.”

That’s enough.

* * *

Today is the day of the Bangkok special stage. And, as if it were only natural, it rained.

What’s the principle? Does he make contact in dreams like me? Is Foundation Life telling him?

[I am always only for you!]

Shut up, please.

Anyway, seeing the rain, I asked Ryu Iden, who was next to me with empty hands and no umbrella.

“Why didn’t you bring it.”

“…Ha, I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m like this when Prophet hyung says something, really.”

Of course, Lee Hyun-jae and Seok-jun also didn’t bring umbrellas, and only Chae Ha-min and I were holding umbrellas tightly in our hands.

‘This is fun, really.’

It feels like peeking at another secret of the world, my heart is fluttering.

Then, is it possible for the Prophet to control people’s actions? If he shows this reaction to every word, that’s also… no, even if he’s stupid, he wouldn’t have done it that way…….

“Dong-hwa hyung, your expression is a bit scary.”

I snapped back to my senses at the voice of Lee Hyun-jae, who was walking next to me under the umbrella.

“…Really?”

“Yes. You look like a scientist in a movie.”

“……It seems like there’s a lot omitted before the word scientist.”

“There are no sons who curse at their fathers, right?”

Wait, when did I acknowledge that? He’s saying it so confidently that I had to search my mind.

“…Son?”

“Father, aren’t there human relationships that start unilaterally in the world?”

Wouldn’t family be difficult for that, you crazy son. Using illogic logically and appropriately is just like a literary person. Then I won’t have the face to see your parents.

Anyway, I want to have a conversation with the Prophet about this topic sometime. Of course, I won’t do it if it’s rude, but I’m sure I won’t understand a single thing properly before that.

* * *

The rehearsal process seemed to be proceeding smoothly. However, the problem is moisture. The outdoor stage is excessively large, and considering the lighting and cameras, it can’t completely block all the drizzling rain. There was a bit of moisture on the front of the stage.

“…We have to be careful not to get hurt when we’re on stage.”

“We need to be careful when we’re in the center.”

I nodded at Chae Ha-min and Ryu Iden’s words.

Unfortunately, the choreography for ‘Heung’ involves frequent changes in movement and the dance itself has many steps. If you put even a little bit of wrong force in a place with moisture, you’ll naturally slip, and aside from the risk of injury, it would be so embarrassing that you’d want to die.

“You can’t put that aside, Dong-hwa!”

“Ha-min, humans are at risk of physical injury, but there’s also the possibility of philosophical death.”

Physical injuries are easy to treat, but philosophical death is even more difficult, so it’s a bigger problem.

“What is philosophical death?”

“A state in which the mind is severely damaged and reason doesn’t function properly.”

“Can that happen just from a human slipping?”

Ryu Iden tilted his head at my words. Fully, possible, you damn puppy. Of course, it might be because you don’t know shame well.

“But― hyu-ung―nim [term of respect for an older brother or male friend], do-on’t things u-usually co-ome true wh-en you sa-ay them?”

Down with pseudoscience. Even if it comes out of the Prophet’s mouth, I won’t fall, Jun. I’ll personally prove that human will can overcome predetermined possibilities.

“Wow, it would be fun if Dong-hwa fell.”

“Hyung, are you crazy?”

“Of course, within the bounds of not getting seriously hurt.”

A short conversation between Ryu Iden and Chae Ha-min.

“Father, don’t fall!”

“Please don’t call me Father only on the W app [likely a social media app].”

“I’ve also heard that sons are raised with a bit of rebellion.”

“Oh, dear, it’s a shame, but I’ll disown you.”

“I started it, so you can’t end it, hyung.”

Can you just be either hyung or father?

I can say with certainty, as my son says, that I will never fall. Because I want to prevent a philosophically deadly situation.

Of course, sometimes natural disasters easily exceed the range that humans can prevent, but surely that won’t happen this time.